


Notorious Tight-ropin' Kittens

by Evan_Jellicle



Category: Cats - Andrew Lloyd Webber, Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats - T. S. Eliot
Genre: Candyfloss capers, Fluff, Kitten Burglars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:07:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25697785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evan_Jellicle/pseuds/Evan_Jellicle
Summary: Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer are living in a carnival as kittens and they take on their biggest heist yet! Set before they got involved with Macavity or joined the Jellicle tribe.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	Notorious Tight-ropin' Kittens

Two tiny calico kittens tiptoed unnoticed through the bustling carnival stalls. There was music and lights and smells, and Rumpleteazer, the female kitten, danced excitedly, up on pointe, beside her brother, Mungojerrie, who tiptoed the more conventional way and had to keep shushing the elated queen-kit to remind her to be quiet. ‘Jerrie was also enjoying the lights and music, but he’d picked up something sweet on the edge of sniffing and was determined to discover what it could be. His attention was grabbed by a brightly coloured food stall with pink and blue bags hanging enticingly from its canvas tarp.

“There!” he whispered to his twin, who gasped in delight and clapped her paws together. 

“Ooh,” she breathed, shivering with anticipation, her tail twitching back and forth. Trying very hard not to smile at his excited sister, Mungojerrie concentrated on raising a disapproving eyebrow. He’d just learned to do this, practicing in front of the funhouse mirrors, and was very proud of it. With an effort Rumpleteazer calmed her wriggling slightly. 

“You really do gotta keep quiet now, ‘kay?” her brother warned her, not noticing that he was making just as much noise in his eagerness to pull off what was to be their biggest heist yet. The tiny queen-kit nodded earnestly and covered her mouth with her front paws. Mungojerrie studied her seriously for a moment, then he grinned. “Alright, c’mon then.” 

As one motion, the duo hopped up onto a narrow rail that was angled so that it conveniently leaned over the stall where the sweet smells were emeninating from.

 _It’s like they's invitin' us to steal from ‘em!_ Rumpleteazer thought to herself. She would have said it outloud, but she had the smarts to work out when she had to be quiet for real and when ‘Jerrie was just being cautious. Right now, she knew she needed to be quiet so she said nothing and giggled instead, which earned her another loud shush. Rumpleteazer pouted at the unfairness of that, but when Mungojerrie didn’t notice she abandoned the act and followed the tom-kit up the rail. This was going to be fun.

Living in the carnival all their weeks had given them an acrobatic knack that helped them on this makeshift tightrope. Rumpleteazer was particularly fond of playing on the balancing bars that the tumblers practiced with, which was why it was so startling when Mungojerrie heard a panicked squeak from behind him. He stopped short, his back arching automatically.

"'Teazah?" he stammered, not daring to look back in case he lost balance. "You okay?"

"Uh…" The direction of 'Teazer's voice told Mungojerrie that she hadn't fallen, but she still sounded scared. "Y'know how you're always tellin' me not to look down?"

"...Yeah?"

"Well… I looked down."

Mungojerrie sighed, partly in frustration but mostly in relief that it was just height nerves (which he knew from experience were unpleasant but manageable) rather than anything more serious. "It's okay," he reassured her, "Just focus on me tail 'til you're balanced, yeah?"

"No it's not that…" ‘Teazer sounded offended. “I ain't scared of heights, unlike _some_ kits.” ‘Jerrie scowled but managed to otherwise ignore his sister's jibe. There was a pause. Realising Mungojerrie wasn't going to rise to the bait, Rumpleteazer returned to the matter at paw. "'Jer, did you know they've got spinnin' knives down there?" she asked, a little embarrassed to hear the shake in her voice.

"Wha'?" In spite of himself, Mungojerrie looked down at the stall below them and immediately wished he hadn't. Rumpleteazer might be okay with the heights but they made him giddy. He couldn’t help it; as soon as he could see how far away the ground was, his body froze up. What's more, he saw that 'Teazer was right about the knives. The stall vendor had set up some kind of kitten-sized bowl with a whirling blade that seemed to be creating the sweet smelling substance that he'd been sniffing out. Like some sort of sick, sweet kitten-luring deathtrap. Mungojerrie's vision blurred and he could feel himself wobbling. "Oh Everlastin'..."

Rumpleteazer saw her brother pale and she sprung over his trembling body so she could face him. "'Jerrie?" she asked tentatively, "You, uh, looked down, didn't ya?" Mungojerrie nodded and immediately regretted the motion.

"Teeazah," he moaned, "I think I'm gonna fall."

Rumpleteazer placed her tiny paw under her brother's chin and raised his head so he could lock eyes with her. "You ain't gonna fall."

“I am!” Mungojerrie could feel his panic rising, “I know I am! I’m gonna fall feet first into them spinnin’ blades, an’ get chopped up, an’ then no more Mungojerrie!”

“Stop it!” Rumpleteazer batted his nose with her paw, not enough to hurt, just enough to snap him out of whatever this was. “Ya ain’t gonna fall,” she insisted firmly, "we's the best tight-ropin' kittens in the circus."

"We's the only tight-ropin' kittens in the circus, Teeazah," 'Jerrie retorted, sulkily rubbing his nose.

"Yeah, well I s'pect we's the best tight-ropin' kittens in any circus," Rumpleteazer cocked her head. "Y'know why?"

"No." Mungojerrie was willing to play along, it was helping a bit. "Why?"

"Cos I heard one of the clowns tellin' the ringmaster that we was notorious," she beamed at him.

Mungojerrie felt his mouth twitch. "What's that mean, then?"

Rumpleteazer shrugged and padded slightly further up the rail. "I dunno, but it's a real pretty word, innit?"

Mungojerrie followed her cautiously, but at least he was smiling now. "Yeah… yeah, I guess it is," he muttered, more to himself than his sister. 

Giving her brother a quick nuzzle to check he was okay now, Rumpleteazer continued the ascent. Mungojerrie allowed a few extra moments to collect himself, before pushing the fear to the back of his mind and hurrying to catch up with his sister.

With the scare mostly forgotten, the notorious duo reached the top of the beam without further incident. Rumpleteazer now being in front crouched low, her tail wiggling joyfully. She glanced back at her brother, who nodded his encouragement, and she pounced.

Rumpleteazer felt her body fly through the air and she realised this thrill of adrenaline must be how the trapeze artists felt when they made their leaps. She closed her eyes and the air raced through her fur. 

"'Teazah, the bag!" her brother's laughing voice called out behind her. Right, yeah. She'd almost forgotten. Reaching out her paws she just managed to claw hold of one of the brightly coloured bags hanging from the stall and it came with her. A few more seconds of blissful falling and she landed lightly, on her feet. A few seconds later Mungojerrie landed beside her, clutching his own bag, and a few seconds after that the vendor's cry started.

"Oi, give those back!"

"Run, 'Teazah!" Mungojerrie nudged his sister as he scampered out of the circus, and out of sight of the vendor. Giggling excitedly, Rumpleteazer followed her brother enjoying the vendor's distant call.

"Come back 'ere, ya horrible kittens!"

\---

“Oh, ‘Jerrie! Tha’ were exhileratin’!” Rumpleteazer cartwheeled into a back flop so she was lying in the tall grass. They’d found a secluded part of the fairground to hide and eat their treasures.

“Yeah, we’s the notorious tight-ropin’ kittens!” Mungojerrie joined her.

“Kitten burglars!”

“I like tha’!” The pair giggled and pounced each other, until Rumpleteazer grew uncharacteristically serious. 

“Hey, ‘Jerrie,” she said solemnly. He stopped bouncing and padded over to her.

“What’s the mattah?” he asked, his brow creasing with concern.

“I’m sorry abou’ earlier,” Rumpleteazer pawed the ground nervously.

“Wha’?” Mungojerrie’s concern turned to confusion.

“I made you look down,” she explained, her ears twitching, “I’m sorry.”

“Oh tha’!” Mungojerrie laughed but stopped when he saw his sister’s ears flatten. “Look, ‘Teaze,” he said putting an arm around her shoulder, “You didn’ make me do anythin’, okay?” Rumpleteazer glanced at him, unconvinced. Mungojerrie sighed. “We knows how I get with the vertigo, and I’m fine as long as I keep me ‘ead up. Today I wasn’ thinkin’ and I looked down. But it were me what messed up, alrigh’?”

“...Alrigh’.”

“And ‘ey,” Mungojerrie continued, “Thanks to you, I recovered and we got us some of this, whatever it is.” He gestured to the pink and blue bags. Rumpleteazer’s eyes lit up.

“Can we eat ‘em now?” she asked, scurrying over to the blue bag that ‘Jerrie had swiped. In answer, Mungojerrie slid a tiny claw into the pink bag that should have been Rumpleteazer’s and pulled out some of the sugary cotton inside. He placed it delicately in his mouth, his sister eagerly watching the ritual, hardly able to contain her excitement.

It was better than anything Mungojerrie had ever tasted. It was sweet and tickly. "Wow, 'Teazah, you gotta try--" but he didn't finish. He stopped, shocked. "Blimey," he muttered, placing a paw to his mouth and taking little confused bites out the air.

Rumpleteazer hopped up to him. "Wha' happened, 'Jerrie? And, uh, whatcha doin'?"

"It… it disappeared. The candy in my mouth. One second it's there, next it's gone!"

Rumpleteazer giggled at her brother. "Well, Mungojerrie, that's what happens when you eat a thing."

"No that ain't it," he insisted. "I'm pretty sure I hadn't swallowed yet…" Rumpleteazer twitched her head inquisitively to see into Mungojerrie's mouth.

"Try again!" she suggested. "An’ this time I’ll watch your mouth to make sure you don’t eat it - just in case ya didn’ notice the first time.” This seemed logical, and Mungojerrie was more than happy to go along with the experiment if it involved more candy.

Sure enough, the same thing happened. And then of course it was Rumpleteazer's turn. She squealed in delight as the candy melted in her mouth too. "It's even bettah than the one what pops and fizzes!"

Mungojerrie signified his agreement by taking another bite.

Two very hyper, sugar-filled kittens returned to the main carnival that evening where they spent the night tumbling and dancing on the tightrope wires. This time Mungojerrie made extra sure to keep his gaze at eye level.


End file.
